Articles

STRICTNESS IN GOD’S LAW

Andy Brenton08/13/17
- Christian Character

God says what He means and means what He says! “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” (Dt. 4:2). Consider some examples of God’s strictness:

Adam and Eve. God commanded, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:16-17). When God said not to eat, did He mean that? He certainly did! In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve eat of the fruit and are driven from the garden of Eden.

Nadab and Abihu. Leviticus 10:1-2 records, “Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.” Think God isn’t strict? Talk to Nadab and Abihu!

Moses. When the wilderness-wandering Israelites complained of thirst, the Lord told Moses, “Speak to the rock before their eyes...” (Num. 20:8). “Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod...” (Num. 20:11). God said, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” (Num. 20:12). Moses learned that God is strict!

Uzzah. The Lord said, “...they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die” (Num. 4:15). You mean to tell me the Lord would strike one dead for touching something? Let’s see. When moving the ark of the covenant, “...Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God.” (2 Sam. 6:6-7). When God says not to touch a thing, we better keep our hands off of it!

Let us simply do what God commands, without addition, subtraction or substitution!